Students at St. Teresa’s Elementary in St. John’s had an unusual end to their day yesterday after a fire was reported at an abandoned home next to the school.

The St. John’s Regional Fire Department had to gain access to the back of the property through the school parking lot just prior to dismissal.

As a result, many parents had to park in nearby parking lots to pick up their children.

The fire department made quick work of a small fire underneath an old collapsed deck. Captain Shawn Corbet says it was the latest in a number of recent fires at the property.

While the department was tending to the fire, the school was put into secure mode. But, as Corbet explains the fire posed no risk to the school or students as the winds were blowing away from the school, no smoke got into the ventilation system.